March 05, 2012

Chuck Smith: End Times Means Bright Outlook for Christian Church

(The Christian Post) CHINO HILLS, Calif. – Calvary Chapel movement founder
Chuck Smith closed out the 2012 SoCal Prophecy Conference at Calvary
Chapel Chino Hills Sunday with a message of "blessed hope" for
Christians during the end times. More than 8,000 people attended
the three-day conference held at the church that included several
speakers addressing the difficult objections and misconceptions
associated with the end times.

"Smith, 84, who is
the pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, is undergoing treatment for
lung cancer. However, he had no problem delivering a strong message of
hope in a fallen world.

"We're on the verge of, it looks like, a
war in the Middle East that could expand into a global conflict of
nuclear proportions. The economy is tanking. Many nations are on the
verge of bankruptcy and our own nation is so many trillions of dollars
in debt. It's just amazing," he said.

He began his talk on
prophesy by quoting Bible verse Titus 2:13, which states, "Looking for
that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ."
"Surely there is a blessed hope that we
have as believers," Smith told those in attendance. "As far as the world
is concerned there's not much hope. When you look at the world that we
live in today, the future doesn't look very bright."

Smith said he feels that the U.S. government is handling the nation's money incorrectly.

"The
politicians seem to think the best way to get out of debt is to borrow
money, but you know there's a basic law of economics that when your
output is greater than your input, your upkeep is your downfall," Smith
said.

"Right now at the present time there are several men
(presidential candidates) who are making wonderful promises to us here
in the United States. They tell us that they have the answers to the
problems our nation is facing and they are trying to encourage people to
have confidence in them and vote for them because they have the
solutions to the problems.

"Well, maybe you are hoping in these
men, but I've lived long enough that I've sort of lost hope in the
programs of man and I am looking for a better hope – the hope of the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ," he said. He went on to explain that the state of the world will not be getting better according to predictions in the Bible.

"The
Bible tells us that things aren't going to get better. Evil days are
going to get worse and worse. Jesus said in Matthew 24:12, 'And because
iniquity of the earth will abound, the love of many will wax cold.'"
Smith,
who regularly gives updates on the events of the Middle East at his
church in Costa Mesa, often begins with news that shows the potential
outbreak of war, but ends by referring to the current events as
"exciting times."

"How can you make, you say, all these dire
predictions with a smile on your face? Well, because the outlook for the
Church is very bright," he explained. "We're almost there and I know
how this story ends and that it's always comforting when you know that
it ends and 'they all lived happily ever after.'"

Talking about
the future, the influential pastor said, "What do we know for sure? We
know there are two major events awaiting the Church. One is the rapture
of the Church. It's the hope that we have right now of the glorious
appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ who is coming for
His Church."
He explained that although the word "rapture" is not
found in English translations of the Bible, "the teaching of the rapture
is definitely in the Bible," he said.

"The second coming of Jesus
is the next major event when He comes to establish His kingdom here on
the earth. That is what we pray for when we repeat the Lord's prayer,
'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'

"In the rapture He is coming for His church, but in the second coming He is coming with His
Church," Smith said. "I do believe in the imminent coming of Christ and
that it might be today. He could come at any moment ... hopefully,
before we are out of here today. Why not?"

The California pastor
concluded his message by saying, "The future for the world is pretty
bleak, but for church it's exciting. I can hardly wait. The coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ is our blessed hope that sustains us today and in a
world that is falling apart we can stand tall, we can stand strong with
the blessed hope predicated on the promises of God based on our faith."

Speakers
on the other days of the conference included Miles McPherson, Jack
Hibbs (lead pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills), Mark Hitchcock,
Charlie Campbell, Ed Hindson, and General Jerry Boykin, U.S. Army
(retired).

- Note: Believing in the rapture does not necessarily mean that we as Christians should not be aware of what is transpiring in the world or that we should not be involved in political activities of any kind. On the contrary, because we realize the spiritual aspect is the most important aspect we are able to live with more freedom and boldness as we stand for the truth and seek justice for the oppressed.

Alex, the fulfillment of specific prophecies in the Bible is evidence that God inspired the scriptures. The prophecies of the End Times are just a small portion of the many prophecies proving the Bible's truth. The following article outlines more such proofs:

An Open Challenge to Bible Criticshttp://templestream.blogspot.com/2010/01/open-challenge-to-bible-critics.html

The end times have been coming for 2,000 years. The early Christians, including Paul and the gospel authors expected it within their lifetimes (and even put that claim in the mouth of their Jesus character).And yet here we are, 2,000 years later, with greater life expectancy and less violent crime than ever before. With a higher standard of living, greater access to the essentials of life, and generally a greater ability to live life than ever before.Sure there are some places which are lagging behind. 3rd world countries, where squalid conditions tend to be the norm. But these places are still likely better on average than the average person alive 2,000 years ago. There has been definite improvement in the conditions of human life, and these improvements show no sign of ceasing.

Idiots like you and this Pastor have been making end times predictions for the entire 2,000 year period. None of you have been right. All of the predictions have failed to materialise. If we look at this as a strictly statistical exercise, then the odds of you being correct this time are slim to none.

And yet you idiots continue to bluster about the end times. You continue to take some measure of joy from the unimaginable slaughter and suffering that your fictional end times scenario entails.

It truly is ridiculous Rick - you and your beliefs are entirely worthy of laughter and ridicule, and not a little suspicion. For anyone who would take hope from the suffering and slaughter of their fellow beings doesn't seem to be too far away from being sociopathic.

Havok, are you even aware of what quotes mean? Show me where I wrote Dawkins is "pro eugenics" - you won't because I never wrote it.

All you can do is offer pathetic lies and slander because you have no substance to offer.

The use of the word "though" in Dawkins' description of eugenics implies "a challenge to overcome" - as opposed to "but" which implies an obstacle. This is a grammatical principle that stands no matter what you may want to say otherwise.

It is you who were wrong in stating that incomplete information in a parenthesis does not derive meaning from the surrounding clause, as I documented with references.

You failed, Havok, but you can't admit it and you can't apologize. It's as simple as that. It's there for anyone to read who desires to. That's the beauty of a written text debate. :-)

You have also failed to apologize for your previous slander, as has been pointed out to you on several occasions. Keep lyin' for Satan, Havok. - My points are documented and a great apologetic. :-)

Rick: Show me where I wrote Dawkins is "pro eugenics" - you won't because I never wrote it. From this comment:"The statement "though I'm not confident of it's moral desirability" is simply a clarification of a positive opinion."

Though you seem to be backpedalling in this comment:"Based on the two reasons mentioned, it is logical to assume that Dawkins is cautiously open-minded towards being convinced that Eugenics can be morally acceptable. "

And I believe you've changed the content of the blog post to be closer to your newer position than your previous position.

Rick: You have also failed to apologize for your previous slander, as has been pointed out to you on several occasions.It's not slander if it's based upon facts Rick.

Rick: Keep lyin' for Satan, Havok. - My points are documented and a great apologetic. :-)For a start, "Satan" is fictional, so I can't lie for it. Secondly, your points are great, but not for your credibility, nor that of the position you defend.

Havok, have no worry.... this time it is the real deal...5,4,3,2,1...Ehhh....I meant to use the non gregorian calender...5,4,3,2,1...Ahhh! The orbit of the Moon with the devil are messing with my mental capacities and your refusal to accept Jesus is not helping at all! Havok, accept Jesus immediately so we can all get the apocalypses started! God s patience is not infinite. And you do not want to waste all those perfectly fine nuclear nukes, do you? Besides, I want to get it over with so I can watch my soap operas in peace this Sunday.

Thanks for the reassurance Anonymous. I was worried that Rick had once again gone completely off the deep end. *phew* :-P

"Smith said he feels that the U.S. government is handling the nation's money incorrectly."I find it hilarious that someone who appears to live by tax free donations from the credulous masses feels qualified to offer economic advice to anyone, let alone the U.S.

Rick: Believing in the rapture does not necessarily mean that we as Christians should not be aware of what is transpiring in the world or that we should not be involved in political activities of any kind.Funny. Avoiding interaction with the social and political world appears to be exactly what the early Christians like Paul advocated. Of course, they knew the end times were upon them, and that all would be fulfilled within their lifetimes, and so things like trying to change the system, and even getting married, didn't seem to be a good use of time - it was all going to end within a handful of years anyway!

Rick: On the contrary, because we realize the spiritual aspect is the most important aspect we are able to live with more freedom and boldness as we stand for the truth and seek justice for the oppressed.Except of course you can give no reason to think there even IS a spiritual aspect to anything.Also, you certainly don't stand for truth. Rather you stand for your beliefs. If the truth does not agree with your beliefs, then the truth be damned!

Rick: The wearing away of the environment and earthhttp://bible.cc/isaiah/51-6.htmAs usual, you have it completely wrong.The earth and it's environment aren't wearing away. It's just that it's changing (for the worse as far as human beings are concerned).If the worst case scenarios of global warming come about, and homo sapiens sapiens and numerous other species go extinct, the earth and the environment will go on. New species will come about and flourish, as has happened in after previous extinction events.The earth does not care!

So Rick, should humans do anything to prevent or alleviate catastrophic climate change?Or should we accept that the earth, environment, and nature generally are ours to dominate and use as we see fit, as the opening chapter of your holy book advocates (Genesis 1:26)?(Note: the word radah, translated as "dominion" or "rule", has the sense of cruel oppression, as in treading down upon - it is not the gentle "custodianship" that Christians often take it to be).

A continued depletion of the ozone effects the entire planet. That poor prophet Isaiah, he didn't have the term 'ozone depletion' on hand so people like Havok might possibly be able to believe what he wrote.